This invention relates to a method of fabricating an aluminum alloy and more particularly this invention relates to a method of fabricating an aluminum alloy electrical conductor having an acceptable electrical conductivity and improved elongation, bendability and tensile strength.
The use of aluminum alloy electrical conductors is now well established in the art. Such alloys characteristically have conductivities of at least fifty-seven percent (57%) of the International Annealed Copper Standard, hereinafter referred to as IACS, and alloying constituents consisting of a substantial amount of pure aluminum and small amounts of conventional alloying elements such as silicon, vanadium, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, zinc, boron and titanium. In the past not only have the physical properties of prior aluminum alloy conductors proven to be less than desirable for many applications but several of the prior art aluminum alloys have been difficult to process and particularly the aluminum-copper-iron alloys have been especially difficult to process into acceptable rod and wire. For example aluminum-copper-iron alloy wire processed by prior art methods have been found to have an ultimate tensile strength in excess of 50,000 psi, an electrical conductivity of only 56.6 percent.
Thus it becomes apparent that there is a need within the industry for an aluminum-copper-iron alloy electrical conductor and a method for producing the same whereby the conductor so produced has acceptable electrical conductivity, and improved elongation, bendability and tensile strength.